


Two Across

by Cyberweasel89



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Twins, Character Development, Cleaning, Cooking, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Healing, F/M, Fanservice, Fluff and Angst, Food Porn, Friendship, Gen, Gluttony, Hurt/Comfort, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Sleepiness, Slow Burn, Twins, Underwear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-21
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8328760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyberweasel89/pseuds/Cyberweasel89
Summary: The death of their parents hurt them. She wore a false smile and ate a lot. He rarely ever spoke and slept a lot. But when twins Minato and Hamuko Arisato arrived on the island their parents died on... All it took was a girl who wasn't human and a boy so broken he saw through masks to change them, and they in turn touched the lives of everyone.Combines all Persona 3 mediums.





	1. Shuffle & Stack

**Author's Note:**

> This story will combine all the best aspects of each of the various Persona 3 mediums. This means the original Persona 3, Persona 3: FES, Persona 3 Portable, the Persona 3 manga, and the Persona 3 movies. Implementation of Persona Q is currently TBD. ;)
> 
> I'm using "Hamuko" instead of "Minako" because having a "Minako" alongside a "Minato" will just fry my brain. I'm only human. I don't trust myself to keep such similar names straight, so "Hamuko" it is. X_X
> 
> No, this is not Minato/Yukari. Much like how Junpei and Hamuko in P3P are "just bros, but one of the bros is a girl," Minato will be "one of the girls, but a guy" to Yukari. :P

_"Time never waits. It delivers all equally to the same end._

_You, who wish to safeguard the future, however limited it may be..._

_You will be given one year._

_Go forth without falter, with your heart as your guide."_

* * *

"Attention, passengers. Train service today is significantly delayed due to a fatal accident. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay. Next stop is Iwatodai," the announcement system blared.

She'd been on the train for a long time. It was only natural she'd get hungry. As she gazed out the window, munching on some potato chips, she could've sworn she saw a glowing blue butterfly flutter past the window. How odd...

"Iwatodai. Iwatodai," the announcement continued.

As the train finally pulled into the station, it was dark out. As the potato crisps she was snacking on rained crumbs, the head in her lap began to stir.

"Mmmmmph..." With a barely-audible groan, the boy currently using her lap as a pillow began to stir. He lifted his head to sit up, rubbing his icy blue eyes.  
  
"Onii-chan! You're awake!" She chirped as the boy brushed the barbecue-flavored crumbs from his boyish face.

He turned, giving her a mere stoic, blank glance. She loved calling him Onii-chan. He didn't show it, but she knew it annoyed him. After all, even though he was ten centimeters taller than her, she was older by five minutes.

"We're just pulling into the station, Onii-chan! You woke up at the perfect time!" She told him happily, placing another handful of chips into her mouth. Her twin brother only yawned in response. Such a sleepyhead!

They were on their way to the very island their parents were killed at ten years ago. They'd yet to receive the uniforms, so... Her brother was dressed in a light gray double-breasted jacket, black slacks, a khaki turtleneck sweater, white socks, and dark brown loafers, along with his trademark earphones. As he settled against the seat next to her, he placed them over his ears and flicked his MP3 player on. She heard the song 'Burn My Dread' faintly playing from them.

She was wearing a short red scarf, a pale yellow sweater with an orange stripe over the chest, a plaid skirt reaching just above her knees, black leggings, and mid-shin brown boots. She also had the same MP3 player and earphones as her brother. NW-S20x series player and model ATH-EM700 earphones, only hers were red instead of blue. She... didn't listen to them much. She mostly just wore them around her neck, but they were an accessory that she rarely didn't wear.

Many pointed out how, despite being twins, even fraternal ones, they looked quite the opposite of each other. His hair was dark blue, hers was auburn. His eyes were a pale blue, hers a very unusual red color. His hair was shaggy and hung in front of his face, while she always tied her hair in a high ponytail and wore silver barrettes that spelled out the roman numeral XXII. She'd always felt that red and orange were her colors and 22 was her number. Her brother preferred blue and silver and was rather drawn to the number zero. Funny, right?

Their personalities couldn't be more different, either. While growing up, he was quite the cheerful child, and she was quite meek and shy. After the death of their parents ten years ago, though, she rarely ever stopped smiling, while he... Well, he not only had never smiled, he'd rarely ever talked. She could probably count on both hands the number of times he'd spoken in the past ten years to people other than her. She rarely left his side, so she tended to do the talking for the both of them. To her, it really wasn't hard to tell what he wanted to say. She actually found his stoic expressions kind of funny.

Of note was that both of them were rather short for their ages, but that was easily explained with them being twins. Twins tended to be on the petite side in both height and body frame. Her brother was pretty scrawny and prettyboy-like in looks. He even tended to wear full clothes to hide it. She, likewise, was rather uncomfortable about her striking red eyes. She kept her eyelashes quite long in hopes of hiding them, as silly as that sounded. When she was younger, she constantly wore a pair of sunglasses to hide her crimson eyes, but gave them up when her parents died.

"This is the final train bound for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for departure," the announcer called over the intercom system again.

As they each grabbed their bags, the girl of the twins ran out onto the terminal platform, a smile on her face as she gazed around at the bustling train station. Her brother walked up calmly behind her, his left hand in his pants pocket and leaning slightly back. His right hand grasped the Iwatodai Dormitory move-in guide, gazing at it with disinterest. With a pout, the female twin looked up at the nearest clock, right about to strike midnight.

"Look how late we are, Onii-chan! I hope I'll have time for dinner when we reach the dorm! I'm still hungry! Since lunch I've only had two boxes of Calorie Mate, three bags of potato chips, and that picnic bento we bought at the station before we left!" She whined.

"Iwatodai. Iwatodai," the voice rang over the station announcement system.

It was just as the clock struck midnight that her brother's headphones went silent. The station was cast into shades of green. Blood began running from the walls and over the clock with any water nearby having also turned to blood.

"So? Which way do we go to get to the dorm, Onii-chan?" She asked him, just as unphased by the sudden shift as he was.

Her brother merely glanced up at her, showing no visible change in expression. He walked past her and stepped through a puddle of blood on the ground as he journeyed outside the terminal and into the streets. She followed after him, also stepping through the puddle of blood with a harmless splash. The pair walked right past several human-sized coffins standing upright in the middle of the path, showing no reaction to them either.

* * *

Her brother opened the door to the dorm for her. It was rather dark inside. As he closed the door for his sister, a youthful voice spoke. "Welcome. You're late. I've been waiting a long time for you both."

She jumped a little, turning to see a little boy with tightly-cut dark blue hair and pale blue eyes standing with his elbows on the sign-in counter. He... looked familiar. His voice, too. It was youthful, but oddly familiar. It kind of sounded like a younger version of her brother's voice, actually. Weird...

The little boy snapped his fingers. "Now if you want to proceed...."

Just like that, he was gone. A book with a red cover and a quill sat on the counter in front of where he'd been standing. She hadn't noticed it before. The red-eyed girl jumped when she sensed a presence next to her, turning to see the boy was now standing there instead.

"Please sign your names there," he gestured to the book, which seemed to open on its own. "It's a contract. Don't worry. All it says is that you'll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff."

She gazed down at it, cocking an eyebrow. It had four rather short lines of English text on it. 'Time never waits. It delivers all equally to the same end. I hereby agree to the statement above and I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.' Below it were two blanks to sign her name... and her brother's, she presumed?

The girl's brows furrowed at the little boy. "Whoa, kid. I dunno what you're pullin' here, but I'm not signing anything that-"

She was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder from her brother. She gazed up at his face. Though it didn't change, it spoke volumes to her.

She sighed, crossing her arms and turning her head away from her brother. "Ugh. Fine. But I better not be selling my soul or something."

Walking up, she signed her name in slightly sloppy handwriting. Arisato Hamuko. Ladies first, heh! Her brother followed suit, signing his own name in meticulously neat, downright perfect penmanship. Arisato Minato. Her brother was often told how his name rolled off the tongue and sounded nice with the way it rhymed. She got no such compliments. Instead kids often made meat or hamster jokes with her. Well, they did until she kicked them in the nards enough. That shut them up. Feisty didn't even begin to cover it with her.

When they were done, her brother, Minato, picked up the red book and handed it to the little boy. Hamuko noticed he was wearing odd pajamas with horizontal white and black stripes, almost like some kind of cartoony prison uniform.

"Very well," he stated in his polite, lighthearted voice. He took the thin red book from her brother, holding it up over half of his face. "Time is something no one can escape. It delivers us all to the same end. Wishing won't make it go away, not even if we cover our eyes and plug our ears."

Turning the book sideways, it seemingly... vanished into thin air. Darkness began to envelope him from behind. The little boy reached out forward with his right arm, grasping at the air.

"And so it begins..." He said just before the darkness enveloped his hand and he seemingly melted into it. When the darkness faded... he was gone.

"Who's there?!" A female voice called out.

Hamuko turned to see a girl with short light brown hair standing there in an alert position. She was dressed in a pink sweater jacket, loose red ribbon over the chest, black mini skirt, knee-length black stockings with a white vertical stripe on the outer sides, brown Mary Janes, and a white choker with a heart on it. Both her ears were also pierced, wearing a white stud in each one. Many noted that Hamuko was pretty short, but this girl looked almost her height. Heck, maybe even shorter by a centimeter.

"How can you be... But it's...!" Her brown eyes gazed at her and her brother with cautious suspicion. "Don't tell me..." She lowered her right hand, reaching for something at her thigh. It looked to be a holster with... a gun?

Hamuko gave a "Meep!" and hid behind her twin brother. Minato himself showed no reaction to what he was seeing. He stared with a blank, almost bored expression, one hand grasping the strap of the bag on his shoulder and the other casually in his pocket. The girl in front of them seemed to be clutching the gun but not drawing it, breathing heavy as she waited to see what the siblings would do.

"Wait, Takeba," another voice called from upstairs.

The girl, Takeba, gasped at the sound of the other girl's voice. She turned to look at a girl with long red hair and her bangs covering one eye walk down the stairs. Hamuko couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the girl's height and bustline. I mean, sure, she was no slouch herself in the chest department. But this girl, even in her modest school uniform, made her feel small. The red-eyed girl couldn't help noticing that the red ribbon on the front of her white blouse was larger than the other uniforms for this school she'd seen. She seemed to downright exude an aura of class..

"But, Kirijou-senpai, they-" The girl in pink, Takeba, began.

"Don't worry. They're ordinary transfer students," the classy redhead stated calmly.

That gave the first girl pause. "What do you mean, ordinary?"  
  
At that moment, the green hue faded, the lights came back on, and even Minato's MP3 player started back up again. "The lights?" The first girl noticed, gazing around.

The redhead, Kirijou, continued her walk down the stairs. "We were expecting you to arrive earlier. My name is Kirijou Mitsuru. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

"Who are they?" The first girl asked.

"They're transfer students. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. They'll eventually be moved to rooms in the regular dorms." Mitsuru explained.

"Is it okay for them to be here?" She asked nervously.

"I guess we'll see." Mitsuru mused, a small smile gracing her elegant features. She turned to the twins, Hamuko having just come out from hiding behind her brother. Minato continued to simply stand there, his left hand in his pocket and wearing a stoic expression.  "This is Takeba Yukari. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you two."

"Hi. I'm Yukari," She introduced herself. Hamuko could tell she was trying to be friendly despite the obvious aura of distrust she was emitting and the doubt in her eyes.

"Nice to meet you!" Hamuko greeted with a bright smile. "I'm Arisato Hamuko, and this is my twin bro, Minato!"

The brunette looked to the blue-haired boy, waiting for him to acknowledge his sister's introduction of him or Yukari's own intro. When he continued to stand there not moving a muscle, she spoke anyway.

"Uh, y-yeah... Nice to meet you, too..." She managed an awkward smile at the boy, hoping to get a reaction but finding none.

"Uh, so why do you have a gun? That scared me pretty bad, ya know!" Hamuko pointed out, pouting.

"Huh? Um, well, it's sorta like a hobby... Well, not a hobby, but..." Yukari stumbled in her explanation. Mitsuru seemed to bail her out.

"You know how it is these days. It's for self-defense. It's not a real gun, of course." She flashed a small, mysterious smile.

"I can understand that, I guess." Hamuko shrugged. "So is this a girls' dorm? I mean, are you sure it's okay for Onii-chan to stay here?"

"No, it's not, but... Umm, how should I explain it...?" Yukari stumbled again.

Mitsuru, again, bailed her out. "Not quite. It's not your typical dorm. Unlike the other buildings, this one's co-ed, for one thing. There are other differences as well. I'll explain it to you later when I get a chance. Now it's getting late, so you should get some rest. Your room is on the third floor at the end of the hallway, while your brother's should be in the same spot on the second floor. Most of your things should already be there."

"Oh... I'll show you the way. Follow me," Yukari offered.

"Oh! Hold that thought! I need to make a quick pit stop. You go ahead and lead Onii-chan to his room first."

The brunette quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, sure. Bathroom's over-" She barely had to point before the ponytailed girl made a mad dash for the rest room, dropping her bag just outside the door and ducking inside. Turning to Minato, Yukari gave him a small smile. One she hoped was genuine. "Okay... I'll lead you to your room then, Arisato-kun."

Showing no reaction, he began walking toward her. She took that as her cue to lead him upstairs to the second floor. She stopped just at the door at the end of the hall.

"This is it..." she explained, stopping in front of it. She gave the boy a small smile. "Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it's right at the end of the hall. So, any questions?"

He merely shook his head. It was the first time she'd seen him react to anything since she first saw him. It made her pause a moment longer than usual, seeing him actually react.

Now that she knew he was actually capable of responses, however non-verbal they may be... "Um... Can I ask you something? On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

He merely nodded. The second reaction she'd seen him give all night and it was the opposite of his first.

"I see..." She smiled awkwardly. "...Never mind, then. Well, I'd better get going..."

She turned and began to walk away, the blue-haired boy watching her as she left. She paused, turning back around and facing him him with her arms clasped behind her back. "Um... I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay?" She managed another small smile. "Goodnight."

Yukari whirled back around and made her way downstairs. Just as she was about to turn the corner on the stairwell, she glanced to see Minato gone. Odd... She didn't even hear his door open and close.

Descending down to the first floor, Yukari headed for the bathroom. Mitsuru clearing her throat got her attention before she could reach it.

"She's in the kitchen, Takeba," Mitsusu directed from where she sat on the sofa, a book in hand.

"Oh. Thanks, Kirijou-senpai," Yukari replied with a smile.

She couldn't help smelling something good as she went to the kitchen. Stepping inside, she found... Hamuko, she said her name was? She was sitting at the table, slurping from a cup of instant ramen. How odd... Yukari had never known instant ramen to smell this good.

"Arisato-san? What are you doing? Aren't you tired?" She asked.

Jumping a little, the ponytailed girl turned her waist to look at the brunette. The cup and chopsticks were still in her hands and noodles were hanging out of her mouth mid-slurp. Sucking them into her mouth sloppily in a way that actually made Yukari cringe a little, the girl answered. "Yeah, I guess I'm a little tired. But I'm way hungrier than I am tired! And please, call me Hamuko! It'd get confusing since Onii-chan is also Arisato-san."

Yukari rubbed the back of her head uneasily. "Um... Kind of awkward, since I just met you, but you have a point. Oh, and I see you found the instant ramen. Why does it... smell so good, though?"

Hamuko only shrugged. "I added a few things to it, I guess. Just some things you had lying around and some spices, is all."

The brunette quirked an eyebrow at that. "That's... odd."

The ponytailed girl tilted her head to the side. "In what way, Yukari-chan?"

Yukari... chan? First name basis already and chan? Yukari would object, but she honestly found the girl's upbeat attitude and energy... oddly contagious. "I... don't know, actually. I guess since I'm not that good a cook and Kirijou-senpai doesn't do things like that, I find it odd that a girl I know can... make something as simple as instant ramen smell so good."

Hamuko shrugged again. "I guess you pick up a few things over the years when you have to cook so much."

That aroused Yukari's curiosity but... she had more pressing things to talk about. Yukari took a seat at the table, noticing the ponytailed transfer student glance at the gun holstered to her hip as she did so. She waited between slurps of Hamuko's ramen before she spoke. "Uh... Did you have any questions, Ari... Uh, Hamuko-san?"

Another slurp of ramen before the girl spoke. "Yup! What's that contract I signed for?"

That gave Yukari pause. "Huh? What's this about a contract? ...What contract?"

Hamuko tilted her head to the side. "Um... okay. Does that little boy live here too?"

"What are you talking about? ...C'mon, it's not funny." Ugh... Curse her ghost phobia! She honestly had no idea what Hamuko was talking about.

Despite her cheerful nature, Hamuko didn't seem to be stupid. She clearly caught Yukari's distress. "Oh, well... Nevermind, then."

Yukari sighed, grateful that Hamuko was dropping it. But speaking of ghost stories, she couldn't help wondering... "What about you, Hamuko-san? Was everything okay on your way from the station?"

The ponytailed girl tilted her head to the side again, clear confusion on her face. "What do you mean, Yukari-chan?"

Now it seemed to be Hamuko's turn to not know what the girl she was speaking to was talking about. "You know what I- ...Never mind. It seems like you're alright." She managed a small smile. "Uh, but... can I ask you about Arisato-kun?"

"Onii-chan? Sure! Ask away!"

"Okay, first thing... You're twins, right? Why call him Onii-chan?"

The ponytailed girl grinned mischievously. "I just do that to tease him! We may be twins, but I'm five minutes older, even though he's ten centimeters taller!" She giggled at that.

Yukari couldn't help but find her laugh contagious. Unlike her brother, who had very little presence and almost blended into the background, this girl seemed to brighten up the room. "Is he... normally so quiet and, uh... inexpressive? I mean, he only nodded and shook his head when I asked him things."

The girl nearly choked on her ramen, getting concern from the brunette. When she successfully swallowed, she shouted out "You got a response from Onii-chan?!".

Yukari felt herself lightly sweat in nervousness. "Um... yes. Why?"

"Onii-chan doesn't respond to anyone!" Hamuko exclaimed.

"That's... an exaggeration, right?" Yukari asked. I mean, it had to be.

"Okay, well... Yes, it is. Usually, though, I do the talking for the both of us. Onii-chan is pretty easy to read once you get used to him. Still, I can honestly say with no exaggeration that I can count on both hands the number of times he's spoken to someone other than me in the past ten years."

Yukari's eyes widened. "Wh-What? But... Why?"

Hamuko merely shrugged. "He's just a really laid-back guy, I guess."

The ponytailed girl said that, but... Why did the brunette think that wasn't the whole story? "So... After you finish your ramen, I... guess you'll want to head to your room?"

"Yup! It's past midnight! I need to do some unpacking!" Hamuko explaind with a grin.

That gave Yukari pause. "You're... not going to sleep?"

"Nah. Tonight's not a sleep night. Tomorrow is, though," she dismissed, shrugging and returning to her ramen.

A sleep... night? The implications... Why did Yukari think there was definitely more to the Arisato twins than met the eye?

* * *

_"Your fate does the thinking. Two across, yet one gets up. Odds are against you... but they're just numbers after the two-to-one. You're playing the hand you've been dealt, but you don't let it rest. You shuffle and stack, and a gamble... a gamble that may pay off? But how? Would you rather perpetually wear a false smile... or never wear one at all?"_


	2. Birth By Sleep

_"Wisdom tells that sleep's embrace is reached through counting sheep. Legend says that counting heads will reach the shadows deep."_

~Kameo: Elements of Power

* * *

 

Two knocks on her door. "It's Yukari. Are you awake?"

No response. Huh... How odd. Was Hamuko asleep? Wait, that smell... The kitchen again? Yukari made her way down stairs, finding the smell growing. As she turned the corner into the kitchen, she realized what  "Hey are those pancaaaaaakes?!!!"

"Hiya, Yukari-chan! Don't worry, I made enough for you!" Hamuko greeted.

It wasn't the enormous tower of pancakes sitting on a plate at the table next to a plate with a more modest stack of them, nor even the third plate with only a single pancake on it, that scared her. Hamuko was wearing an apron, pink bra, and pink panties... but nothing else!

"Ari... H-Hamuko-san! What are you doing?!" Yukari stammered.

"Making breakfast. What else? Like I said, I made enough for you! Eat up!" She chirped, smiling and completely oblivious to how... outright inappropriate this was.

Not sure what else to do in her momentary stun, Yukari took a seat at the table, gazing at her stack of pancakes. She... found the instant pancake batter? Wasn't it expired?

"You stay and eat, I'm gonna go wake up Onii-chan!" Hamuko instructed.

"Oh, actually, I was about to-" Yukari began.

"Trust me, Yukari-chan! When it comes to first thing in the morning, only I can wake Onii-chan!" She giggled, turning and walked off with her bare feet padding on the floor.

Sighing and unsure of what else to do at the moment, Yukari cut a piece from her stack of pancakes, taking a bite.

She didn't come to until a tap on her shoulder roused her. She looked up, seeing it was Minato. He was quirking a dark blue eyebrow at her. She looked down to see her plate empty. Empty? What? It was only after the foodgasm began to subside that she realized... Wow. Did... Did Hamuko really make that? It was... downright orgasmic. Did she really make those pancakes just with the instant pancake mix they had in the cabinets? Expired, no less! Hamuko, thank goodness, was fully dressed now. Her enormous tower of pancakes was gone, too. Minato's single pancake, oddly, was half finished and abandoned. It led her to wonder... how long was she out in a food coma? And how come the only thing she could remember from it was... the taste? The sheer flavor...

"Arisato-san? Are you going to finish that?" She asked, feeling... very fat for asking such a stereotypical question. The boy merely shook his head. "You sure? Didn't you only eat half of one?"

"Oh, don't worry, Yukari-chan! My twin bro is what I like to call an un-glutton! That half a pancake is enough to last him until lunch and then some!" The boy's twin sister giggled.

Well, then... Normally, she'd be giving that fact more thought, but instead, the only thought that entered Yukari's head was...

Next stop, food coma relapse.

 

* * *

 

It was on the New City passenger train, Anehazuru, that Yukari tried to get to know the Arisato twins a bit more.

"So, Hamuko-san, where did you learn to cook like that?" She asked.

The girl shrugged, smiling. "Like I said last night, I guess you just pick up a few things from necessity, ya know? Bro's the same way. He's a whiz with laundry, cleaning, dishes, and even sewing!"

Yukari quirked an eyebrow. "Arisato-san... sews?" She glanced over at the boy, who was sitting on the nearby bench, fast asleep.

"Yup! Knits, crochets, and embroiders, too!" Hamuko said, a big grin on her face.

The brunette couldn't help giggling at that. "Wow! Maybe he should join the home economics club, or something." Hamuko only laughed at that. "Anyway, we have to take the monorail to get to the school. Bet your last school wasn't like that, huh?"

"Nope! Not at all! Onii-chan and I just walked!" The Arisato sister replied.

"This is my favorite part... when it feels like you're gliiiding over the sea!" Hamuko giggled at that. "Hey, don't laugh!"

"Sorry, it just sounds so corny!" She said.

"Don't laugh."

Yukari jumped at the unfamiliar voice. She whirled around to see it coming from... Wait, did Minato just wake up? He was stretching and yawning and no one else could have said it... Why did it seem so odd to hear his voice? And for the first time, too! "You mean, uh... You can relate, Arisato-san?"

He merely nodded. Yukari began to wonder what else there was to this boy underneath his silent, stoic exterior. "Uh... A-Anyway, our stop is Port Island Station at the end of the line. From there, we walk. Have you ever heard of Tatsumi Port Island? It's a man-made island. They built our school right in the middle." Before either of the twins could respond, she continued. "Oh, look you can see it now!"

Sure enough, the fancy school was visible in the distance, complete with blooming sakura trees.

* * *

"Mornin'!" A female student called from the school's front gate.

"Morning!" Yukari called back. She turned to the twins. Hamuko was gazing around at everything, particularly the sakura trees, with a wide-eyed, child-like wonder. It was only then Yukari noticed what a striking shade of crimson her eyes were. Was that color... natural? Minato, on the other hand, stood with his book bag in his right hand, his left in his blazer pocket, the usual bored and blank expression on his stoic face. "Well, here we are... Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!"

She led the twins inside, where they changed their shoes at the shoe lockers. "You're okay from here, right?" She asked.

"You betcha!" the ponytailed girl chirped, her hands clasped behind her back with a bright, cheery smile on her face. Wow, this girl was a little energizer bunny, wasn't she? The brunette couldn't help but feel a little jealous of her enthusiasm. But, to be honest... she admired Minato's composure more. She tended to be prone to poor decisions when worked up...

"You should go to the faculty office first to check in. It's right down the hall to the left of the front entrance. And _that_ concludes the tour!" She half-joked. "Do you have any questions before I go?"

"Ummm... Where's Onii-chan and my classrooms, Yukari-chan?" The female of the twins asked. Minato was gazing around with disinterest.

"I think they're posted on the bulletin board but I haven't checked yet, either," Yukari replied, pointing to the board on the wall with several students gathered around it. "Oh, but, uh... Hey..." She felt a little uncomfortable and it probably showed on her face. Minato didn't react, but Hamuko tilted her head to the side in curiosity. Like a kitten, that one. "About last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"

"Saw what?" Hamuko asked, her head tilting further.

Yukari felt a small smile come to her face. "Exactly. Anyway, see ya later!"

As Yukari walked off, Hamuko ran up to the board, passing two nearby students. A girl and boy, both very tan, possibly only half-Japanese, with the girl berating the boy for wearing his gym uniform on his first day. She called him 'Kaz,' an obvious nickname. From the way they spoke, she got the feeling they were close. This was confirmed when she mentioned she couldn't babysit him due to being in different homerooms.

Hamuko weaved her way through the students around the bulletin board. She passed a girl with an extremely long black ponytail who looked rather smart lamenting that she wasn't in the same class as some boy. Another boy seemed to be similarly lamenting, only his gripe was that his homeroom teacher wasn't old enough for his taste in older women.

Skimming the class rosters on the board, Hamuko pouted when she couldn't find her name. "What gives? I'm not on here!" She felt a hand on her shoulder, knowing it was Minato. She watched as he pointed at a very small note with not only her name, but her brother's as well. It seemed they were both in Class F. And so was Yukari! Yay!

Across the main entrance hall, Hamuko heard a male teacher complaining about kids not respecting their elders these days. Glancing over, she saw he was standing in front of a small school store of some kind. Curiosity overpowering her, she ran over and patiently waited for the vendor to tell the teacher that if he wanted her to order more cream-filled bread, he could've just asked. That gave the red-eyed girl time to peruse her wares.

The vendor seemed to notice her. "Hm? You seem interested in what we've got on sale... You must be a new student!"

"Sure am! My twin bro and I just transferred here for the new school year!" Hamuko chirped, smiling brightly with her hands clasping her book case behind her back. Minato came up to stand behind and to her left.

"My, you're energetic! And a cute one, too! Well, word of advice since you're new... I'm afraid I don't have enough bread for everyone. If you want some, come early. I don't have any customers once school's out, so I can't sell that much," the vendor explained.

The look on the ponytailed girl's face, clear genuine distress at the idea of there not being enough bread for sale, made the vendor laugh beyond her control. "Then get me a cutlet sandwich and an apple strudel, stat, nurse!" The vendor's smile crew. "Doctor, get ready to hand me the yen scalpel!"

Showing no reaction, the boy merely prepared to pay the vendor while she retrieved the food for her.

"This should be just enough to tide me over until lunch!" The girl exclaimed happily. The vendor would've found it odd... but maybe she just skipped breakfast since it was the first day.

* * *

In the hall they found a teacher wearing a samurai helmet and an obviously foreign boy with a French accent having a heated discussion on Japanese culture and history, particularly samurai. They seemed to be having fun. There were also two female students wandering around, confused about the location of the library. Minato held the door to the faculty office open for his sister, the girl entering as he followed after.

"Oh, are you the new students?" A teacher with neck-length, medium-brown hair reacted in slight surprise at the twins' entry. "Arisato Hamuko and Arisato Minato... Eleventh grade, correct?"

"You betcha!" Hamuko chirped, while Minato gazed around at the office with disinterest.

The teacher began flipping through pages in a file. "Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places... Let's see... In 1999... That was what, um, ten years ago? Your parents..." She gasped. "I'm sorry. I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand."

Hamuko only maintained her cheerful smile. "Don't worry about it, ma'am. It was a long time ago."

"Okay, well... I'm Toriumi-sensei. I teach composition. Welcome to our school," the teacher said.

"Nice to meet ya, Toriumi-sensei!" Hamuko chirped.

"My, such enthusiasm! Girls like you should be an example for others. We could use more go-getters like you," Toriumi-sensei said, a smile gracing her features.

A light red blush spread across the red-eyed girl's face, but she kept her smile.

"Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F. That's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me," the teacher instructed, moving to stand.

* * *

In the auditorium, the principal was giving a speech. Hamuko took a seat next to her brother, who wasted no time in falling asleep.

"As you begin the new school year, I'd like each of you to remember the proverb 'if a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means..." The principal began.

Hamuko tried to pay attention, but... she began to hear students around her whispering about something.

 "I heard we got two new transfer students," a boy said.

"Yep. I've seen them, too. They came to school with Yukari," another replied.

"The auburn-haired one is a total cutie!" The first said.

"Yeah, and even I have to admit her blue-haired brother is downright pretty for a boy!" The second replied.

She tried to ignore the rumors, but... "Psst... Hey..."

Sighing, and without looking at the student behind her, she asked "What is it?" through grit teeth.

"You came to school with Yukari this morning, right?" the boy asked. "I saw you two walking together. Hey, I have a question. Do you know if she has a boyfriend?"

Hamuko sighed again. Odd question. Was Yukari popular, or something? "I don't know."

"I see. I thought you might know, but... I guess not. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?" He continued.

She felt her face light up. "Um... N-No..."

"Interesting... And what about your bro-"

"Now just a minute here!" Hamuko growled, interrupting him before he could continue.

"I hear talking! I believe it's someone in Toriumi-sensei's class." a middle-aged teacher in a blue suit reprimanded the nearby students. Hamuko recognized him as the same one that was complaining to the vendor at the school store.

"Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!" Toriumi-sensei growled.

Hamuko tried to sink into her seat, blushing like mad. It didn't seem like the rumors would stop anytime soon...

* * *

It was after class later that day that Hamuko was putting away her books and tape recorder when she noticed some boy with a goatee and baseball cap walk up to her brother, still asleep in his desk.

"Sup, dude?" The dark blue-haired boy stirred, likely having just begun to awaken on his own already, or he wouldn't have woken up at all. "How's it goin? Haha! You look like a deer in headlights." The boy greeted, patting Minato on the back rather forcefully.

The blue-haired boy quirked an eyebrow at him. "Personal space," he stated flatly. Hamuko was surprised Junpei got her twin brother to speak. Wow!

"Oh, come on. Don't be so standoffish! Let me introduce myself, at least. I'm Iori Junpei. Nice to meet ya. Call me Junpei!" He thrust his thumb at himself, leaning in close.

"Personal space," Minato repeated, his tone unchanging.

"I transferred here when I was in eighth grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... so I wanted to say hey! Heh! See what a nice guy I am?" Junpei continued, unphased.

Yukari, who was putting her things away herself, sighed.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" The boy greeted, a grin on his face. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again!"

"At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?" Yukari reprimanded.

"What? But I was just bein' friendly!" Junpei defended, exaggeratedly incredulous. "Ain't that right, new kid?"

As Junpei reached for Minato again, in an instant, his wrist was locked in a left-handed vice grip. "Personal space," the blue-haired boy repeated again, the same deadpan tone as the last two times.

"Yeeow!" Junpei cried, pulling his hand back and waving it like it was in pain. "Damn! You've got a grip a steel there, transfer student! I didn't even see your arm move!"

Hamuko looked to see Yukari laughing despite herself. "Sorry, Junpei-kun. Onii-chan's... not exactly a people person," the female twin explained with a giggle.

In a flash, the boy in the baseball cap was by her side. "Let's see... He hurt my wrist. You're giggling and smiling. Think I'll stick with you!"

"Fine with me, Junpei-kun! I'm Arisato Hamuko. Onii-chan over there is Arisato Minato," Hamuko said.

"Sweet! Hey, I know how tough it is bein' the new kid. You're lucky you're not freakin' out on your first day!" Junpei said.

"Ugh... Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?" Yukari groaned.

"Hey! She talked to me first!" Junpei defended. Hamuko brought her hand to her mouth and giggled. These two bickered, by they were obviously close. She could tell. In fact, she'd swear there was some shipping opportunities between the two.

"Anyway, some coincidence that we'd be in the same homeroom, huh?" Yukari said.

"Yup! I'm just glad to have a friend," the red-eyed girl replied, a big smile on her face.

"A friend? Oh... you mean me." Hmmm... Why did Yukari seem a little uncomfortable with that? "Yeah, I... I'm glad we ended up in the same class, too."

"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class, too? C'mon, lemme in on the fun!" Jumpie said. "By the way, do you guys know each other? I heard you three came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt! A couple a cuties like you, walking alongside a guy... The whole class was buzzing about you."

"Wh-What are you talking about?!" Yukari exclaimed, incredulous. "We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it? Now you have me worried..."

Hamuko's face rose into an exaggeratedly innocent smile. "Oh, it's all true, Junpei-kun. Yukari-chan and I are totally going out. Onii-chan here is our bodyguard."

Yukari's jaw dropped, while Junpei burst out into uproarious laughter. Minato, of course, showed no reaction. In fact, he seemed to be dozing off again.

"Ugh! Could you just cut it out? I hate dealing with rumors like that! I mean, I'm used to it, but you just got here, Hamuko-san! You shouldn't encourage Junpei like that!" Yukari scolded.

"Oh, c'mon! Junpei-kun and I are just havin' fun, right Jun-kuuuun?" Hamuko leaned in toward Junpei, a cat-like grin on her face.

"Don't you know it, Hamu-taaaaan?" Junpei responded in kind.

Yukari sighed. Were these two long-list siblings, or something? Cringing at the thought of there being a female Junpei to enable the male one, the brunette walked over to where Minato was sitting at his desk, just beginning to nod off.

"Hey..." He looked up, blinking groggily. "You didn't say anything to anyone about... you know what, did you?" The brunette asked, worry in her voice.

Minato only shook his head slowly back and forth.

"Okay, good," Yukari sighed, relieved. "Seriously, though... Don't say anything about last night, alright?"

Junpei cast the girl a confused look.

"Wh-What?" Yukari said in response.

"L-Last night...?" Junpei stammered.

"W-Wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! I just met him yesterday and there's absolutely nothing between us! Geez... I've gotta go. I've got something to take care of for the archery team. But you better not start any rumors! And don't try anything funny with Hamuko-san! You got that, Junpei?"

"Sure. And I won't ask why you're referring to her by given name, either," he jabbed, smirking.

Blushing like mad, Yukari turned and hurried out of the room.

"Aw, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She's so paranoid... Besides, what is she, your nanny?" Junpei dismissed. Hamuko giggled in response. The boy in the baseball cap turned to Minato. "But hey! It's your first day here and people are already talkin' about you! Believe it or not, Yukari's actually pretty popular. You da man! Heheh! This is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

Minato showed no response, merely blinking slowly like he was still half-asleep.

Turning to Hamuko, Junpei looked a little uncomfortable. "Oh, and just to clear something up, I seriously wasn't trying to hit on you or anything. If you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol' pal Junpei about it!"

"Thanks! I'll remember that, Junpei-kun!" Hamuko replied, smiling.

"No prob! My doors always open. Heh, so to speak. In fact, how about I walk you back to your dorm to show how nice a guy I am?" The boy in the baseball cap offered.

"Swoooooon!" Hamuko teased, earning a laugh from the boy. She turned to Minato. "Onii-chan? You going to join us?"

His eyes half-lidded, the boy mere shook his head, finally nodding off in his seat.

"Is your brother always this much of a sleepyhead?" Junpei whispered to the red-eyed girl like it was a conspiracy.

"You have no idea," she whispered back, playing along.

 

* * *

As the two were leaving the school, they passed by the track field.

"Whoa, check out the jocks on their run..." Junpei mused, gazing over at the spectacle. "Hey, did anyone tell you about school clubs yet? Girls can join too, so why not do it if you're interested? You'd be joining as a new member, though, so you won't be able to apply for a little while."

"Hmmm... I'll keep that in mind. I could do with some extra things to fill my day. Thanks, Jun-kun!" Hamuko chirped.

"No problem, Hamu-chan!" Junpie replied.

The two made small talk on the way to Iwatodai dorm, finding it the easiest thing in the world to do, just trading conversation back and forth. Their personalities... oddly melded.

No dating, though. When the conversation inevitably led there, they agreed: It'd be like dating yourself or your sibling. Ew.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Yukari was leaving the archery club, she felt a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. Whirling around, she saw it was...

"Arisato-kun?" He merely nodded. "What are you doing?" He gestured with his thumb behind him. "Are you... going to walk me back to the dorm?" He nodded. "That's... oddly nice of you." she felt a small smile come to her face.

As she walked alongside the blue-haired boy, she couldn't help finding his presence... oddly calming. Sure, Hamuko was a big bundle of sunshine, but Yukari honestly felt she couldn't keep up with the girl's energy. Minato, on the other hand... It wasn't just his constant tranquility that eased her nerves. His silence was... almost like a black hole that she felt the need to fill with lots and lots of words.

She did so as they walked back to Iwatodai. She talked non stop about anything that came to mind, while he... Well, the most she could get out of him was a nod, shake of the head, or quirk of the eyebrow. She was beginning to learn how to decipher his subtle body language, and... honestly?

She couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to someone who barely said a word. It... oddly worked.

She talked about the clubs, too, and how he might want to join some. When the topic turned to Junpei, though... She knew... she might've found the first male friend who hadn't, and wouldn't, hit on her.

* * *

Mitsuru looked up to see Yukari and the two new students enter as she sat on the couch, reading a book. "Welcome back," she greeted them.

"Hiya, Senpai!" Hamuko cheered, unbuttoning her uniform blazer. Minato was... doing the same?

"What are you-" Before she could finish, both were out of the common area. She turned to a wide-eyed Yukari. "Takeba, what is Arisato doing?!"

"She's... cooking us dinner."

Mitsuru went through a mental blue screen of death for a moment and had to reboot. "And the other Arisato?"

"Well, if want Hamuko-san said is true, he's going to..." Yukari began as Mitsuru shakily reached for her coffee. "Dust the rec room, thoroughly and completely clean the bathrooms, do the laundry, and after dinner, do the dishes."

Mitsuru, her hands shaking even more, but remaining composed otherwise, scoffed. "He'll be at it all night. Besides, the Dark Hour is in two hours." She began to sip her coffee.

The archer fidgeted nervously. "Actually, um... Hamuko-san says he can have it done... Within the hour. Tops."

Mitsuru spit her coffee out. "An hour?!"

Yukari looked extremely uncomfortable, even rubbing her bicep in uncharacteristic meekness. "That's what I said. Hamuko-san's exact reply was, and I quote... Hey, don't blame Onii-chan. He can't pull off his usual half-hour with a building he's unfamiliar with."

Mitsuru clutched at where her heart was. Yukari... decided not to tell her just how good Hamuko's cooking was. It'd... likely kill her.

* * *

As Mitsuru sat at the dining table with Yukari and Minato, she tried to ignore many things,

The first was that Arisato Hamuko was currently serving them while dressed in nothing but a bra, panties, apron, and very spring cleaning housewife-like bandana over the top of her head.

She tried even harder to ignore the fact that Arisato Minato sat at the table the same way, only wearing an apron, boxers, and a head wrap, invoking the image of a house husband that Mitsuru was having trouble not lapsing into fantasies about.

She also tried to ignore the fact that the entire dorm was sparkling clean and flawlessly spotless... and that it only took the boy about fifty minutes to get it that way.

"What... is this, Hamuko-san?" Yukari asked, staring down at her plate.

"I call it... Ramen stir-fry! My own original recipe, Yukari-chan!" Hamuko beamed.

"Ramen... stir-fry?" Mitsuru questioned. Ramen was... generally below the standard of class she was used to back home.

"Well, I noticed you guys had a lot of instant ramen! So I made this," the twin explained.

"With?" the two other girls asked at the same time.

"Let's see... I found a bag of frozen vegetables way deep in the back of the freezer, mostly covered in frost, so I added those in. Then I found some leftover meat, so I added that in. Then it was just a matter of boiling the ramen, then stir-frying it all in oil," Hamuko explained, counting off on her fingers.

"You... put this together with leftovers? Most of which was no doubt expired?" Mitsuru grimaced. It looked fine, but now that she knew what it was...

Yukari glanced over at Minato, already using his fork to slowly and meticulously eat his plate of 'ramen stir-fry.' He... seemed fine. No signs of poison. But... no other reaction, either. Heh! Like always, she noted. But... considering how good Hamuko's food was, she couldn't help but find it odd that Minato didn't outright orgasm like she did.

Curious, Yukari twirled some of the boiled and stir-fried noodles onto her fork, giving it a sniff. It... smelled nice, she noted. Steeling herself, she placed it in her mouth.

Mitsuru shot up, knocking her chair away. "Takeba! What's wrong?"

"Oh, don't worry, Senpai. The crying is normal. It took some of my relatives a while to get over that, actually," Hamuko explained.

The redhead gazed at Yukari in worry. "And... the trembling all over?"

The female of the twins shrugged. "That's new, to be honest."

Mitsuru grimaced. "It looks like she's being electrocuted..."

"Like I said, Senpai, that's new to me!" She giggled.

Shrugging, and pinching her nose, Mitsuru placed a fork of the 'ramen stir-fry' in her mouth. And that was the day... Kirijou Mitsuru... had her first food-induced orgasm.

When a student about Mitsuru's age with shortly-cut gray hair and a bandage on his temple walked by the dining area, the redhead and Yukari seemed oblivious to him, currently pitching tents in their own stomachs. The boy jumped when he noticed Hamuko dressed in underwear and an apron. It was only when the red-eyed girl excused herself to the bathroom that the boy introduced himself as Akihiko and explained he was heading outside 'for some practice.' Hamuko, answering from the bathroom, said she'd deliver his message to the other two girls when they returned from orbit. He also, out of 'morbid curiosity' as he phrased it, asked them to save him 'a plate of that shit.'

* * *

The next day, the twins and Yukari made their way to school together again. As they rode the monorail, Hamuko overheard two boys talking.

"Did you hear the rumor?" One asked.

"Oh, um... something about... a bathroom?" The other replied.

 "N-No! Not that one!" The first boy sputtered. "I mean the story about the first-year student! Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, 'it's coming... It's coming...!'"

"Huh. How about that," the second boy said.

"You don't believe me?" The first asked.

"No, I do! It's all over the news," the second boy assured. "People who've had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome. One guy even jumped in front of a train the day before school began! They say it's due to stress, but..."

Hamuko furrowed her brow at what she was hearing from the loud, gossiping students on the monorail. Her brother and Yukari were next to her, chatting away... sort of. Yukari was talking. Minato was just nodding or shaking his head and quirking an eyebrow. But that gave Hamuko time to herself. She figured it wasn't often her Onii-chan had someone so interested in talking to him besides her, so she overheard the conversation nearby. Apathy Syndrome... she'd never heard of that before.

* * *

As the trio arrived at homeroom, Minato wasted no time in falling asleep. Meanwhile Hamuko got out her audio recorder, notebook, and textbook.

"Open your textbooks and we'll take a look at the first novel by... Kasai Zenzou." Toriumi-sensei directed the class. "Ugh... Why him?" She lamented. "I'd rather teach about Kubota Utsubo. He became famous as a singer, but he's also produced fine literature. I wonder why it's not in the textbook. Well, I'll just bring Kubota's book next time."

Hamuko glanced over at Junpei, who seemed to be playing a video game on a PSP under his desk.

"Hey, Iori! Were you listening?" Toriumu-sensei called over to the boy.

"H-Huh?" The boy in the baseball cap jumped.

"Who did I say was my favorite author?" The teacher questioned.

"U-Ummm..." The boy gazed around the room, desperate for an answer. Hamuko hastily scribbled down something in her notebook, holding it up toward him while not looking. "Kubota Utsubo of course!" The boy answered confidently.

"That's right! So you were listening to me after all!" Toriumi-sensei sounded pleased.

"Eheheh... Well, you know how I like to pay attention!" He chuckled nervously. When Toriumi-sensei walked away, Junpei leaned in. "Man, you saved my bacon, Hamuko!" The girl just smiled.

* * *

Mitsuru came to get Yukari just as class ended, asking her to come with her. Junpei also left class in a hurry, so the Arisato twins decided to return to the dorm. Minato listened to his earphones the entire time, leaving Hamuko craving a good conversation. After spending that morning just thinking on the train, she had a social interaction need to satisfy.

The female of the twins heard giggling, then the sound of books crashing to the ground.

"Moriyama-san, please stop..." A meek female voice said.

"Why? We're inspecting your personal belongings for you," another's girls voice replied.

Another girl cackled. "That's goody-goody Fuuka for you! No fun stuff on her at all! Continue to behave yourself!"

"Come on!" Another goaded.

"We're so nice, it's scary!" The second in the group said.

Hamuko clenched her first but next thing she knew, her brother was standing between the girl on the ground and the three girls.

"Whoa! Where'd you come from, blue-hair?" One of the girls jumped at his sudden appearance.

Minato said nothing, merely standing with his right arm clutching his bag and his left hand in his blazer pocket, his face bearing its usual stoic expression.

"Piss off, kid! This doesn't involve you!" The apparent leader said.

When Minato continued to not respond, one of the girls stepped forward. "Fine then! Take this!"

The girl pulled herself into a karate stance, bringing her right hand in for a punch. Fuuka's eyes widened as Minato showed no reaction to the punch headed straight for him. In the blink of an eye, the girl's fist was clenched in Minato's left palm, his fingers tightly grasping it in a vicegrip.

"What? But... How? Rozu-chan's on the karate club! She's been practicing it since she could walk! Her punch can break through a wooden plank with no wind-up! How can his scrawny arm just catch it like that? And so easily!" One of the girls exclaimed.

"Crap! I didn't even see his arm move! And his hand was in his pocket, too! How could he pull it out so fast?!" Another said.

"Shit, let's get out of here!" The apparent leader said.

The other two girls ran, but the girl who attacked found she couldn't pull her fist out of Minato's vicegrip. "Y-You'll pay for this, blue-hair!" She growled. When Minato finally let go, the girl reeled back, landing on her ass. She scrambled up and made a mad, fearful dash after her two friends.

Turning, Minato knelt down and began helping the girl with the teal hair pick up her books, his expression not changing once.

"Thank you for helping me..." The girl said as she looked at the blue-haired boy, her voice barely above a whisper.

Not saying anything, Minato handed her back her books.

"Um, I'm sorry to be a bother..." She continued, gazing up at the boy as he stood up to his full height. His left hand returned to its usual place in his pocket. Then, like it was no big deal, he walked off, leaving the teal-haired girl to gaze at him with a light blush on her face.

Hamuko smiled from where she watched at a distance. It wasn't often that her brother played the part of the knight in shining armor... If he hadn't made her promise not to involve him with her ship captain habit, she honestly would've tried to ship her Onii-chan and the mysterious girl.

* * *

Yukari was brought to Chairman Ikutsuki's office, where Mitsuru sat on a couch and began perusing a file. Yukari herself was sitting on the sofa across from her.

"It's pretty unusual to see you at school, Chairman," Yukari addressed the distinguished man at the office desk.

"When Kirijou told me about them, I couldn't contain my curiosity," he explained. His chair was swiveled, facing away from the two girls.

"Then, you think they're also-" the Archer began.

"It's almost certain," Mitsuru interrupted in confirmation.

"Takeba, I'd like you to monitor their activities up close for a while," Ikutsuki requested.

"By which, you mean spy on them?" Yukari asked, bringing her knees together with her hands atop them.

Ikutsuki swiveled his chair around to face the brunette, clasping his hands under his chin with his elbows on his desk. "I suppose I do."

"Skim through these, Takeba," Mitsuru directed, handing the girl two black booklets. Yukari opened the top one to see it was a background report on Arisato Minato, the other one no doubt for Hamuko.

"I feel a little bad about doing this..." She murmured, trying to only look at the basic info listed and mentally block out anything more private in the report. "They don't know anything yet."

"This is necessary to determine if they're qualified to know," Mitsuru calmly stated.

"I understand that, but still..." the archer sighed.

"They seem to have bounced around from school to school. They've been moving from relative to relative. Their parents are dead." That gave Yukari pause, her eyes widening. "And they died in the accident that happened in this city ten years ago," Ikutsuki explained.

"That's a strange coincidence," Mitsuru mused.

Yukari looked back down at the reports in her hands. Hamuko's smile in her file photo was blinding, but Minato's... a stoic expression so blank it almost couldn't be called an expression.

"The accident ten years ago..." She murmured.

* * *

When they arrived at the dormitory lounge, Yukari was already there, talking with a man Hamuko didn't recognize.

"Oh, they're back," the archer pointed out, turning as the brother and sister entered.

"So, these are our new guests... Good evening," the man greeted politely. His brown hair was rather long, reaching past his shoulders. Reading glasses rested atop his nose and he had just a bit of facial hair on his chin. Hamuko couldn't help but find him sophisticated and rather gentlemanly-looking. "My name is Ikutsuki Shuji. I'm the Chairman of the Board for your school. Ikutsuki... Heh heh! Hard to say, isn't it? That's why I don't like introducing myself. Even _I_ get tongue-tied sometimes."

"No problem, Ikutsuki-san! I'm Arisato Hamuko, and my twin bro over there is Arisato Minato! Nice to meet ya!" Hamuko greeted, while Minato showed no response, though he _did_ turn off his MP3 player.

"My, aren't you full of energy? And at such a late hour, as well. I apologize for the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment," Ikutsuki explained.

"No problem, Ojiji-san!" Hamuko replied.

Yukari would've done a spit-take had she been drinking something just then! How could Hamuko address the school's Chairman of the Board so informally like that? She'd only just met him! To her surprise, though, Ikutsuki didn't even quirk an eyebrow.

"So, Arisato-" He began.

"Oh, please, call me Hamuko! Onii-chan is Arisato, too, so it'd get confusing," she lightly bonked herself on the head for emphasis.

Ikutsuki only smiled his calm, charming smile. "Very well. Did you have any questions, Hamuko?"

"Ummm... Yeah. What brings you here, Ojiji-san?" She asked.

Yukari felt herself cringe at such an impolite title for a man of Ikutsuki-sama's stature, but the man didn't seem to mind at all.

"To welcome you, of course. Speaking of which... Where's Mitsuru, Yukari?" he turned to the archery team member.

"She's upstairs," she explained.

"As diligent as always. Although, it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello," Ikutsuki said.

"Okies," Hamuko dismissed. "So, who else lives here, Ojiji-san?"

"There are only five students in this dorm. You, your brother, Yukari here, Mitsuru... And a senior named Sanada Akihiko," Ikutsuki explained.

"Oh! We met him last night at dinner!" The ponytailed girl beamed.

The Chairman quirked an eyebrow. "Dinner?"

"Yup! I cooked dinner for everyone! Onii-chan dusted the lounge, cleaned the bathrooms, did the laundry, and washed the dishes, too!" Hamuko explained, a big grin on her face.

The Chairman smiled. "My, my. This is a pleasant surprise. It seems you all will get along quite well. I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must take my leave. You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, the early bird catches the bookworm! Please forgive the bad pun." He chuckled.

Yukari sighed. "You'll get used to his lame jokes."

"Yup! And early to bed, early to rise! Makes a man healthy unless he eats too many french fries!" Hamuko giggled.

 

Yukari's eyes widened. For the first time since the archer had known him... The Chairman lost composure and burst out laughing, though in a dignified way. Hamuko joined him in a giggling fit. She cast a glance at Minato, comforted by the fact that he shot her the same look of silent desperation she was sending him.

* * *

Mitsuru stood in front of the monitor, sipping her mug of coffee. Just then the door opened, Ikutsuki stepping inside with Yukari. "Working hard?" He greeted her pleasantly.

"Did Sanada-senpai go out alone again tonight?" Yukari asked.

"Yes... I hope nothing happens." Mitsuru sighed.

"So, how are they doing?" Ikutsuki asked.

"He went to bed a little while ago. He's asleep now. She's downstairs, eating dinner," Mitsuru explained. "Chairman-san, do you think they're...?"

"Well, let's wait and see for now. The Dark Hour is approaching," Ikutsuki said.

Sure enough, the clock struck midnight, the lights going out. The world was tinted green. Only the specially-made electronics in the Iwatodai dorm still functioned.

"Hmm... He's still sleeping. Not only that, she's still eating her dinner," Ikutsuki mused as he watched the monitors for Minato's room and the kitchen. "The Dark Hour occurs every day at twelve midnight. You could say it's the 'hidden' hour. During this time, an ordinary person transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs."

"Then, they must be?" Yukari began.

"As you can see, they've retained their human forms. Minato is asleep, but he's definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. Hamuko is experiencing it as well, but hasn't shown any reaction. How odd... The only question that remains is whether or not they have the potential. Although, they must. If they didn't, they would've preyed on them by now.

  
"Still, though... Twin brother and sister, and they both experience the Dark Hour? I don't think there's any precedent for that..." Yukari mused, worry in her voice.

"In any case, we should continue to monitor them for a few more days," Ikutsuki explained.

"Yes, sir," Mitsuru agreed.

"I feel kinda bad, though, spying on them like this..." Yukari sighed.

Mitsuru decided not to point out the fact that she had watched Minato strip to his boxers on camera just before Ikutsuki and Yukari entered.


End file.
